Hedo Turkoglu has been suspended 20 games for steroid use

In what has been shaping up to be a rather boring buildup to the trade deadline, Mr. Turkoglu has provided some spice. Thanks to his smack. The NBA announced today that Hedo Turkoglu has been suspended without pay for twenty games for violating the terms of the NBA/NBPA Anti-Drug Program by testing positive for methenolone.

What is methenolone? QUICK! RUN TO WIKIPEDIA! Our dear friends at Wikipedia describe it as an anabolic steroid. The fun part is in the description that it is sourced from the glands of pregnant cats.

Hedo issued the following statement: “While I was back home in Turkey this past summer, I was given a medication by my trainer to help recover more quickly from a shoulder injury. I didn’t know that this was a banned substance and didn’t check before taking it. I take full responsibility for anything that goes into my body. This was a complete error in judgment on my part and I apologize to the Orlando Magic organization, the league, my teammates, and the Magic fans. I know I have let down a lot of people and I am truly sorry for my mistake.”

The team is standing by Turkoglu. Because, why not? (no, this won’t let the team void his contract)

“Hedo unknowingly took a banned substance. There are more than 125 banned substances on the NBA List, and we spend a lot of time educating our players on the contents of that list and will certainly continue to do so moving forward. We believe this was an honest mistake.” – statement from General Manager Rob Hennigan

Methenolone is banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency. It is also one of the “alleged” steroids that Barry Bonds and Alex Rodriguez were taking over their historically dominant years in baseball. Luckily, the Magic were able to almost equal production from Turkoglu. Hedo has played in just 11 games this season averaging 2.9 points per game on 26.4% shooting.